Advances in microelectronic technology have caused integrated circuits (ICs) to be formed on microelectronic substrates (e.g., semiconductor substrates) with ever increasing density of active components. IC manufacturing may be carried out by the application and selective removal of various materials on the microelectronic substrate. One aspect of the manufacturing process may include exposing the surface of the microelectronic substrate to cleaning treatments to remove process residue and/or debris (e.g., particles) from the microelectronic substrate. Various dry and wet cleaning techniques have been developed to clean microelectronic substrates.
However, the advances of microelectronic IC manufacturing have led to smaller device features on the substrate. The smaller device features have made the devices more susceptible to damage and yield loss from smaller particles than in the past. Hence, any techniques that enable the removal of smaller particles, and/or relatively larger particles, without damaging the substrate would be desirable.